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Maurice Jones-Drew

5 undefeated teams remain as we head into week 4 of the NFL season. I went 9-7 a week ago, bringing my season total to 26-22.

Bye Week: Philadelphia and Green Bay

Thursday Night Football

Dolphins @ Bengals: Miami barely squeaked by the Browns last week, while the Bengals were beat down by the defending champs at home. The Dolphins got a big day from Jarvis Landry, but inconsistency continues to plague Ryan Tannehill, who threw a pick six in the win. Cincinnati got their running game going, but still lost to 1-2 for the first time in five years. After two very good weeks, Andy Dalton couldn’t do much against the Broncos defense. I like the Bengals at home with another good rushing game to get their second win of the season. CINCINNATI WINS

Sunday Morning Football

Colts @ Jaguars: London here they come! Indianapolis got their first win of the season last week, while Jacksonville is still looking for theirs. Andrew Luck has the uncanny ability to turn a bad day into a big day passing the ball, but the Jaguars defense isn’t the problem so far, so he’ll need help. Blake Bortles on the other hand, has been pretty awful for Jacksonville in his third year under center. So what happens this weekend across the pond? Give me a cleaner day from Luck to lift the Colts. INDIANAPOLIS WINS

Sunday 1PM Games

Bills @ Patriots: Three different quarterbacks have started for New England, but that hasn’t stopped the winning. And as for the Bills, they got their first win over a team many think, myself included, are a playoff team destined for a deep run. Both teams got big two-touchdown games out of their number 1 running backs, so look for another day of running the clock. The Patriots have to get through one more week without Tom Brady, and while they’ve done a great job doing so, and are very, very good at home, I’m taking the road team in this one. BUFFALO WINS

Titans @ Texans: It was a very bad week for Houston, who not only lost their Thursday game versus New England 27-0, they learned that JJ Watt re-injured his back and will be out the rest of the year. Tennessee’s week wasn’t much better, as they scored just 10 points in their loss to Oakland. Both teams enter action having scored the same amount of points through 3 games, but of course that’s skewed with the Texans O-fer last weekend. Marcus Mariota and Brock Osweiler have both thrown 4 interceptions so far this season, so whoever can limit mistakes has the edge. A Titans win puts them in a tie for the division early. But I don’t think they get it, because I like the Texans skill position players better. HOUSTON WINS

Lions @ Bears: The Lions are 1-2, but haven’t struggled in the passing game, as Matthew Stafford has found a new weapon in Marvin Jones after Calvin Johnson called it a career in the off-season. The silver lining there for the 0-3 Bears is that their defense has actually done okay against the pass so far this season. Chicago got a pretty good game out of Brandon Hoyer, who finished 30-49 for 317 yards, though most of that came with the game out of hand already. Both teams have the ability to get the points in the air, and with two middling defenses, that shouldn’t be a problem. So this game will be won in the trenches, and the edge there lies with the Lions. DETROIT WINS

Panthers @ Falcons: Carolina is another team I thought would have a great season, but has disappointed so far. Thanks to the struggles of the Panthers and the rest of the NFC South, Atlanta finds themself atop the division early on in the season. This dispite allowing 31, 28 and 32 points in their first three games. The Falcons may not be getting sustained success in their ground game early, they are getting it when it counts. Tevin Coleman has just 110 yards on the ground, but has 4 rushing touchdowns, including 3 on Sunday in New Orleans. Carolina entered action red-hot at home dating back to 2014, but we shut down by a red-hot Vikings defense a week ago. I still believe in the Panthers defense, and as hot as Atlanta has been, I think Carolina gets the win on the road.CAROLINA WINS

Seahawks @ Jets: The good news for Jets fans? Ryan Fitzpatrick can only be better than he was a week ago. The bad news? He has to be a lot better against the top defense in the league. After scoring just 3 points against L.A. in week 2, the Seahawks exercised some demons putting up 37 against the Niners. Russell Wilson was hobbled in the game, but still managed to leave with a nice lead. Big games from Christine Michael and Doug Baldwin helped get the offense back on track. New York can solace in the fact that they have had a pretty good run game all season, and while some of it came in garbage time, Seattle did allow the Niners to get over 130 yards on the ground, finding pay dirt twice. This shouldnt be as ugly for the Jets as it was last week, but it will still be a loss. SEATTLE WINS

Raiders @ Ravens: Baltimore finds itself among the undefeated teams heading into week 4, in large part thanks to their defense and a good day from kicker Justin Tucker. The Ravens are second in total defense through 3 weeks of play. Their opponents won their 2nd game by forcing three turnovers, with a sack after entering week 3 having allowed the Saints and Falcons to walk all over them. So based on defenses, Baltimore should have an easy win. But I actually like Oakland’s offense a lot more, and as someone who thinks this is a playoff team, I’ll take the Raiders in the upset. OAKLAND WINS

Browns @ Redskins: Cleveland should’ve gotten their first win of the season in Miami a week ago, but an inability to stop the air attack, and three missed field goals left them at 0-3. They gave themselves a shot, but couldn’t take it. Cody Kessler’s first career start wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t very good for Cleveland, though at this point, coming out healthy is huge for the Browns. Washington did get their first win, taking down the Giants on the road. After a couple lackluster offensive weeks, Kirk Cousins let it loose and got a number of big plays in the passing game to help get that first win and move back in the right direction to defend their NFC East title. So can the Browns get their first win this week? Yes. Will they? I don’t think so. They stayed in last week thanks to mistakes by Tannehill, but Cousins won’t make those same mistakes. WASHINGTON WINS

Sunday 4/425PM Games

Broncos @ Buccaneers: The Superbowl Champs are showing no signs of slowing down as they look to start the season 4-0. Denver got off to a slow start last week against the Bengals, but came on strong late thanks to a big day from rookie quarterback Trevor Siemian. Siemian threw four touchdown passes, including two in the fourth quarter for the win. Not to be outdone, the Broncos are a top flight defense that held down Andy Dalton and their rushing attack. They’ve got another tough test when they take on Jameis Winston this weekend. The Bucs 2nd year quarterback is tied for the league lead in touchdown passes so far with 8, though he has thrown six picks to. It won’t be a blowout, none of Denver’s games really have been, but it will be another win for the Broncos. DENVER WINS

Rams @ Cardinals: I’m shocked at the start the Cardinals are having at just 1-2. Carson Palmer has had a bad TD-turnover ratio through 3 weeks. Arizona isn’t getting quite out of David Johnson on the ground, while their defense is allowing the 5th most rushing yards per game. This is as good a week as any to get back to what they want to do in all phases as they take on their division rival Rams, who find themselves tied atop the division at 2-1. Los Angeles has rebounded nicely from a shutout on opening day, winning their last two games. The Rams tend to play up or down to their opponents, evident by a 9-3 home win over Seattle and a 37-32 shootout on the road in Tampa Bay. Going off those results, I’ll take the Cardinals at home in what should be a close game throughout between these two West foes. ARIZONA WINS

Cowboys @ Niners: Dallas couldn’t have asked for more from rookies Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliot through three weeks. The Tony Romo-less Cowboys were a game-winning field-goal away from being 3-0 right now. Dez Bryant has a hairline fracture in his knee but is still expected to play this weekend. San Francisco was manhandled in week 3, and still isn’t making a change back to Colin Kaepernick. The biggest thing the Niners have going for them is Carlos Hyde has looked pretty good. I like what the Caowboys have done this season, but I have a feeling about San Fran this week. It might be a bad feeling, but I’m rolling with it.SAN FRANCISCO WINS

Saints @ Chargers: It’s still early, but the Saints need to start picking up some wins quickly if they want to make the playoffs as I predicted they would as a wildcard team in the NFC. The offense hasn’t been the problem. Drew Brees is already over a 1,000 yards passing, with an 8-1 touchdown to interception ratio, though that one interception last week was a fourth quarter pick six for Brees. New Orleans defense hasn’t been been able to stop anyone, as they’ve allowed the 2nd most total yards. Worst at stopping the run, that’s where the Chargers will need to take advantage this week. But without Danny Woodhead, San Diego needs Melvin Gordon to get going, so this is the perfect opportunity for that. I like Philip Rivers, but I like Drew Brees more. Give me the road team to get win number 1 this week. NEW ORLEANS WINS

Sunday Night Football

Chiefs @ Steelers: What a defensive performance put on by the Chiefs this past week! Two defensive touchdowns and six interceptions helped Kansas City get the easy win over the Jets. The offense wasn’t great, but they didn’t need to be with that showing on defense. Alex Smith continued to show his game management skills, and why Travis Kelce is one of the better tight ends in the league right now. They’ve got a desperate Steelers team thsi week, who didn’t score a touchdown in a week 3 beatdown by the Eagles. After two very good weeks, DeAngelo Williams was stymied on the ground, so the rushing attack will gladly welcome back Le’Veon Bell from suspension this week. The biggest test for the Kansas City defense will be stopping Antonio Brown, but I don’t think it will matter much even if he does have a big day. KANSAS CITY WINS

Monday Night Football

Giants @ Vikings: This should be a battle of two unbeatens, but a late game collapse left the Giants at 2-1 heading into today. Too many penalties, a couple late turnovers and allowing Washington to open up the field multiple times led to the home loss for New York. They lost Shane Vereen to a triceps injury as well. Eli Manning and company need to do more in the passing game, and they have the capability with three wide receivers. The bad news for New York is that the Vikings are running on all cylinders right now. Their defense has been relentless through three weeks, and despite losing starting QB Teddy Bridgewater before the season started, the offense has been very good. Sam Bradford has come in and fit in better in two weeks then he’s done in the first few seasons of his career. It’s going to be tough for the Giants on the road, but I like New York will figure things out and get back in the win column. NEW YORK WINS

We’ve reached week 3 of the season, and still have 8 undefeated and 8 winless teams. There have also been a lot of big injuries early that will have a big impact on week 3 and beyond. As for my picks, I’m 18-14 through 2 weeks. Here’s what I’m thinking going into week 3.

Thursday Night Football

Texans @ Patriots: Jimmy Garoppolo left with a shoulder injury for New England, who still managed to move to 2-0. This was thanks in large part to Garoppolo’s 3 touchdown passes before his injury as well as a big performance from LeGarrett Blount in the run game. The Texans took down the Chiefs on the strength of their defense to move to 1-1, a stark difference from their 33-0 loss to Kansas City in the playoffs. Without Garoppolo, I think the Texans will do enough to get another win to start off the week 3 action. HOUSTON WINS

Sunday 1pm Games

Ravens @ Jaguars: Baltimore got very lucky in week 2, as they overcame a 20-0 1st quarter deficit to improve to 2-0. Cleveland never scored again, while Joe Flacco brought his team back with a 25-45, 302 yard performance. Their opponents have been disappointing to me so far. While I didn’t think the Jaguars were going to make the playoffs this season, I thought they’d be better than they’ve shown, starting 0-2 again after They crossed midfield only six times and committed three turnovers. BALTIMORE WINS

Lions @ Packers: Both teams enter 1-1 after losing in week 2, and are looking to keep pace with the 2-0 Vikings. The Packers lost their game in the 4th quarter, turning the ball over twice, while allowing Rodgers to be sacked 5 times. Detroit also lost their game in the 4th quarter when they were outscored 13-0 by the Titans, including a 93-yard game winning drive. The Lions didn’t have a go to back in week 2, losing Ameer Abdullah to an injury. So who gets back in the win column this week? I’ll take the Packers at home with a much-needed big day from Eddie Lacy. GREEN BAY WINS

Redskins @ Giants: Washington won the NFC East a year ago, but have opened up this season 0-2. Struggles in the red zone and an inability to force turnovers meant a loss in a back-and-forth affair with Dallas last week. New York’s offense moved up and down the field pretty easily on Sunday, but also struggled in the redzone, and had too many turnovers in the 1st half. But the defense and special teams stepped up and they moved to 2-0. So who takes this division matchup? Give me the home team to get over their redzone struggles and take advantage of Eli Manning’s league leading completion percentage, which should be even better as the Giants receiving core dropped at least 5 balls in week 2. NEW YORK WINS

Browns @ Dolphins: For the 5th week in a row (dating back to last season), Cleveland will be starting a different QB. Someone should tell them this isn’t baseball, there’s no starting rotation in football. Even with the QB carousel, the Browns almost, and should have, pulled out their first win in week 2. They were up 20-2 on the Ravens, thanks in big part to their ground attack, but fell late. Miami isn’t in any better a position than their week 3 opponents, as they enter action at 0-2 as well. The Dolphins were down big early to the Pats, but made a comeback after Jimmy Garoppolo went down with an injury. Cleveland will be in this game until the end because Miami has had issues stopping the run early. But even of Isaiah Crowell goes big on the ground, I still think they pull out the win at home. MIAMI WINS

Vikings @ Panthers: Minnesota will now be without their starting QB and running back for the rest of the season after Adrian Peterson went down in their game on Sunday night. The Vikings defense looked stong against Aaron Rogers in week 2. As for Carolina, they rebounded offensively in week 2, but they still struggled a bit on defense, allowing the Niners to score 27. They’ll be without their running back Jonathan Stewart, but were picked up by Fozzy Whittaker on the ground. Despite the 27 points allowed, I like the Panthers chances of stopping Sam Bradford and the new Vikings weapon and league receiving yards leader Stefon Diggs. CAROLINA WINS

Broncos @ Bengals: Andy Dalton has gotten off to a nice start this season, leading the league with 732 passing yards, so here’s a good test for the Broncos league leading defense. CJ Anderson is having a good start to the season, and we’ve seen the Bengals give up the most rushing yards per game to start the season, so he should be able to help eat a lot of clock for Denver. DENVER WINS

Cardinals @ Bills: Arizona rebounded from a tough week 1 loss by handily beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Cardinals led the league in total offense, while the Bills dropped to 0-2 despite putting up 31 points of their own in week 2. Buffalo has let their offensive coordinator go, so they really need this game. Too bad I don’t think they’ll get it. Look for a big game from running back Daniel Johnson. ARIZONA WINS

Raiders @ Titans: Oakland has not been able to stop anyone through two weeks, something I wasn’t expecting, allowing 70 points so far. Tennessee has actually done a very nice job on defense. Both teams are 1-1 heading into this game, but I still like the Raiders better. The Titans offense hasn’t shown the big play ability the Raiders have, so Oakland should be able to hold them down better than they did with New Orleans and Atlanta. OAKLAND WINS

Sunday 4/425pm Games

Rams @ Buccaneers: LA’s defense showed up in week 2, Tampa’s did not. The difference between these two teams is the offense. While the Bucs went from scoring 4 TDs to 1, I feel more confident about their offense than the Rams, who have scored just 9 points in two games. The best chance the Rams have is if their defense can do what it did a week ago, and good game out of Todd Gurley. That being said, I’ll take the home team in this one. TAMPA BAY WINS

49ers @ Seahawks: This is a big (albeit early) NFC West battle between two 1-1 teams. San Francisco followed up a surprise week 1 win with a defensive breakdown against Carolina. Seattle had one of their worst offensive games in this recent stretch of Superbowl quality teams, scoring just a field goal against the L.A. Rams. I can’t see the Seahawks being held down again, especially by the Niners. Russell Wilson should be able to dominate in this one. SEATTLE WINS

Steelers @ Eagles: I never thought this would be a game where both teams have a chance to move to 3-0, but here we are. DeAngelo Williams has been huge for Pittsbrgh in the abscense of Le’Veon Bell, who is out one more week due to suspension. Philadelphia has gotten about as good as you can ever hope to from a rookie quarterback in Carson Wentz, who hasn’t turned the ball over yet. It should be a good game, but I will go with the experience in this one.PITTSBURGH WINS

Jets @ Chiefs: Two teams I picked to make the playoffs in the AFC face off in Kansas City this weekend. New York picked up their first win last week, thanks to the offense. Off-season acquisition Matt Forte finished with 100 yards rushing, and three rushing touchdowns. Eric Decker and Brandon Marshall both finished with 100 receiving yards as well. The Jets defense wasn’t as impressive as it was week 1. The Chiefs hope that’s the case again this week, as they couldn’t get much of anything started against Houston. A lot went right for New York last week, and I can’t see them doing quite that well against Kansas City’s defense as they did against Buffalo. If this were a home game for the Jets I might choose differently, but it’s a home game for the Chiefs, so I’ll go with them this week. KANSAS CITY WINS

Chargers @ Colts: San Diego is 2-0, Indianapolis is 0-2. I really thought that the Colts would be able to do better than they have on defense, but they haven’t. San Diego has looked very good on offense to start this season, Indy has been very up and down. INDIANAPOLIS WINS

Sunday Night Football

Bears @ Cowboys: Chicago is 0-2 despite holding early leads in both week 1 and week 2. And now they’ll be without starting quarterback Jay Cutler due to a thumb injury. Their best hope to beat the Cowboys is to continue limiting the passing game, as the Bears rank 4th in the NFL allowing 224 yards a game. As for Dallas, they picked up their first win thanks to another clean day from Dak Prescott and a big night on the ground. The Boys were already a better team than the Bears before the Cutler injury, so give me Dallas at home to move to 2-1. DALLAS WINS

Monday Night Football

Falcons @ Saints: Atlanta picked up their first win against an impressive Raiders team in week 2, while New Orleans dropped to 0-2 after a game winning field goal by the Giants. Atlanta hasn’t had any problems scoring this season, but their defense has struggled at times. New Orleans’ defense was much better in week 2, forcing 3 turnovers, but it wasn’t enough. I picked the Saints to make the playoffs, so this is a huge game for them. If they want to get their first win, they have to figure out how to run the ball. The Falcons tend to be very inconsistent, so give me New Orleans at home in a shootout. NEW ORLEANS WINS

It’s not often that 1 player goes off for 200+ yards on either the ground or in the receiving game. But this week we saw 3 players have exception games. How about 3 to 4 touchdowns for one player? There were a few of those as well.

NFC EAST (This One’s Going Down to the Wire)

Cowboys: They got off to a slow start, but were able to come back from a 21-7 deficit to maintain their tie atop the division. An opening kick-off fumble by Terrence Williams was returned for a score, putting them down as quick as you can be down. DeMarco Murray was huge in the redzone, scoring 3 rushing touchdowns, adding a number of big catches to help lead the comeback. Tony Romo managed the game well, finishing with 235-passing yards and a touchdown pass to Dez Bryant. Back-up rusher Lance Dunbar added a career-high 82 yards in the ground game. It’s the first time all season Dallas is 2 games over .500. (7-5)

Eagles: Make it 19 touchdown passes with no interceptions for Philly savior Nick Foles. Though he did throw a pick in the game, it didn’t go against him as it was called back on a defensive penalty. No matter what, Foles continued to shine against a very good Arizona defense, throwing 3 touchdown passes for 237-yards in their 4th straight victory. He also set an Eagles record for most passes without an interception (233), breaking Michael Vick’s mark of 224 set in 2010. DeSean Jackson went over the 1,000 yard mark for the season. Rookie receiver Zach Ertz on 2 of his 5 catches on the day. The only concern is this team continues to be shutdown in the 4th quarter, something that gave Arizona multiple chances to steal a win on the road. But the defense held, and the division crown still remains in play.(7-5)

Giants: Big Blue rallied from 14-0 down to at least keep their slim playoff chances alive, thanks in big part to their run game in the red-zone, and their defense. Justin Tuck looked like his old self, racking up a career high 4 sacks, and after a bad start, the defense held the Skins to just 95 2nd half yards. The run game overall wasn’t spectacular, but Andre Brown made his 35-yards count, scoring two touchdowns including the go-ahead score. Eli Manning threw touchdown, and one interception, the Giants lone turnover of the game. They’re the only team with at least 1 turnover in every game this season. (5-7)

Redskins: RG-still-stuck-at-3-wins and company got off to a very hot start Sunday night, but cooled off late. Griffin was 16-for-17 at halftime, but went just 8-for-15 in the second half, and was dropped 5 times. Washington had a chance to go the length of the field in the final minutes to try and tie. But a mix-up by officials with a 1st down being called a second with no measurement, the Skins play calling suffered and ultimately resulted in having to go for it on 4th down, and not converting. The loss officially eliminates them from the playoffs. (3-9)

NFC NORTH (Detroit Puts Some Separation Between Themselves and the Rest of the Division)

Lions: The Thanksgiving Day skid came to an end at 9 thanks to a big day from just about everyone. Matt Stafford got off to a shake start, but he finished with over 300-yards passing, 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Calvin Johnson caught one of those TDs, his 5th straight Turkey day score, as well as his 5th straight game this season. Reggie Bush put an opening drive red-zone fumble behind him, rushing for 117-yards and a score in the rout. The win helps put them in the driver’s seat for the division title. (7-5)

Bears: Matt Forte finished with 120-yards on the ground, and that wasn’t even the best total on the ground in the game, let alone the best from scrimmage total on his team. Rookie wide-out Alshon Jeffery went off for two touchdowns and 249-yards receiving, giving him the two best receiving games in Bears history, ever. The usually sure-footed Robbie Gould wasn’t so on point though, missing 2-of-4 field-goal attempts, including a 47-yard attempt that would’ve won it in overtime.(6-6)

Packers: Matt Flynn “savior” wasn’t to be this week. After a 10-3 start, the Pack were completely shut down by the Lions. The defense did all it could, forcing 3 turnovers, including the early fumble they returned for Green Bay’s lone touchdown of the game. But they couldn’t outplay their quarterback. Flynn threw a pick, lost two fumbles and was sacked in for a safety in the 3rd quarter. The loss doesn’t put them out of contention for a wildcard spot or the division title, with a game against Chicago left. But it does make things harder. Aaron Rodgers could be back in week 14.(5-6-1)

Vikings: Down 20-10 after 3 quarters, 10 unanswered in the 4th forced overtime for the second straight week. The Vikings were 1:43 away from their second straight tie, but a Blair Walsh 34-yarder gave them the win instead. Walsh missed a 57-yarder earlier in overtime but Minnesota was given new life after the Chicago miss. Oh and in case you forgot, Adrian Peterson is really, really good. Peterson ran for 211-yards on 35 carries for a 6-yard-per-attempt average. Christian Ponder went down with an injury early in the game, and Matt Cassel came in and did a good job in his place. Cassel threw 1 touchdown to Greg Jennings, a pick and finished with 243-yards in the air. (3-8-1)

NFC SOUTH (We Have a Battle For 1st Place on our Hands)

Saints: Other than one long drive in the 1st to cut the deficit to 17-7, the Saints offense looked like a shell of themselves. The one touchdown went to Jimmy Graham. Drew Brees was held under 200-yards passing, and the run game was non-existent. Just one turnover, but it was recovered for a touchdown early. Those 7 points scored by New Orleans, according to NFL.com, are the lowest scored by the Saints since Sean Payton became headcoach in 2006. Making things worse, plane troubles kept them in Seattle overnight. (9-3)

Panthers: 8 straight wins and this time around, it was never in doubt. The defense ravaged Tampa’s offense, holding them to just 2 field-goals, recording 5 sacks and forcing two turnovers. Cam Newton did throw 2 picks, but he also threw for 263-yards and two touchdowns to go with 68-yards on the ground and a rushing score. 5 receivers finished with at least 35-yards, with Brian LaFell and Ted Ginn Jr each finding the end-zone. Now they sit tied for 1st, with 2 games to go against New Orleans.(9-3)

Buccaneers: They actually led the Panthers, not for long and not by much, but in a 21-point loss, I guess you take any positives you can find. Mike Glennon has been very good for Tampa, but not this week as Tampa saw their win streak snapped at 3 games. Glennon went on to post 14-21 completions, 180-yards, no touchdowns and an interception in the loss. The defense did all it could, forcing a couple turnovers, but they had no real answer for Newton short of those takeaways. (3-9)

Falcons: It took overtime, but the skid ends at 5 for Atlanta. Steven Jackson had his first multi-touchdown day as a Falcon as a part of an 84-yard rushing performance. Matt Ryan didn’t throw any interceptions, something foreign to him this season, but he did lose one fumble. Ryan was good throwing the rock though, finishing with 311-yards passing and a touchdown pass to Tony Gonzalez. Roddy White had nearly 150-yards receiving. They never led in regulation, and won it thanks toMatt Bryant’s 2nd field-goal of the game in the extra frame.(3-9)

NFC WEST (Seattle Just Continues to Fly Higher)

Seahawks: It was all Seattle early, thanks to a fumble recovery for a score for Michael Bennett, his first careers touchdown. And it stayed Seattle’s night, thanks to Russell Wilson, whose throws we’re on point all game long. The 2nd year quarterback threw for 310-yards, 3 touchdowns and added another 47-yards on the ground. The defense was huge against a potent Saints offense, holding them to under 50-yards rushing and Brees to under 200-yards passing, a rare feat.Home field throughout the playoffs looks way more likely now with a 2-game lead over the rest of the NFC. (11-1)

49ers: There was a big time Anquan Boldin sighting in week 13, as the wide-out caught 9 passes for 98-yards. Tight-end Vernon Davis added an athletic leap over a defender, 82-yards and a score to San Fran’s 10-point division win. Colin Kaepernick threw for nearly 300-yards and a score. 3 Phil Dawson field-goals and a Frank Gore rushing touchdown was the rest of the niners offense as they put a game between themselves and Arizona. They never trailed, and currently hold the 6th and final playoff spot in the NFC. (8-4)

Cardinals: They put themselves in a 21-7 hole early, and they were never able to fully recover. Carson Palmer threw 3 touchdown passes, but also threw 2 interceptions, as well as lost a fumble. Those 3 turnovers proved costly in a 3-point game. Rashard Mendenhall had one of his better games of the year, picking up 79-yards on the ground, but it wasn’t enough. Michael Floyd came up just short of the 100-yard receiving mark, while Larry Fitzgerald added another 72 in the passing game. Both scored touchdowns. The loss hurts drops them back in the hunt for a wildcard spot, but they still have a better shot than most.(7-5)

Rams: They did a decent job of holding down the 49ers early, but the offense couldn’t do much against San Fran. Kellen Clemens finished with over 200-yards passing, a touchdown and an interception, while Zac Stacy gained 72 on the ground. But drives stalled, and they had to settle for field-goals rather than touchdowns on 2 of them. They are still much improved over last season, but with 3 teams to jump in their own division, the playoffs aren’t realistic. (5-7)

AFC EAST (It’s Still The Pats Division)

Patriots: They won, but I wouldn’t be too proud of myself if I was a Patriots player after Sunday’s performance Down 17-7 at the half to a 2 win Houston team, they needed a big 2nd half to save themselves from a bad loss. The game saw 5 lead changes as Tom Brady finished with 371-yards passing, 2 touchdowns and an interception. Both Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman finished with over 100-yards receiving. LeGarrett Blount added a score in the run game. But they couldn’t stop the run in the red-zone, allowing 4 rushing touchdowns. They rallied again, but the defense was suspect and their run game wasn’t great.(9-3)

Dolphins: Ryan Tannehill finished the must-win game completing 28-of-43 passes for 331-yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception. 4 players combined for over 120-yards on the ground, including 22 from Tannehill. The defense took advantage of a down New York offense, holding them to just 3-points. Brian Hartline and Mike Wallace combined for over 200-yards and 2 scores while 3 Caleb Strugis field-goals book-ended the scoring for Miami, who keeps playoff hopes alive. (6-6)

Jets: Well, they’re in a free-fall now. Geno Smith hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass since before the World Series began, and was finally benched in favor of Matt Simms. not that it made a difference. Smith went 4-for-10 for 29-yards with an INT before being replaced by Simms, who completed 50% of his passes for 79-yards, a fumble lost and a pick. The only offense New York could muster was a 2nd half Nick Folk field-goal. After not winning or losing 2 straight, the Jets are now on 3-game losing streak, and see their playoff hopes die with each loss. (5-7)

Bills: They had their chance to win in regulation on a possible game winning drive, but a lost fumble ended those hopes, and they eventually fell in overtime. It was a good day for the running backs, with CJ Spiller nearing the 150-yard mark, while Fred Jackson scored a rushing and receiving touchdown. But a couple lost fumbles, and their defense’s inability to stop Atlanta, meant disaster. (4-8)

AFC NORTH (The Ravens are Trying to Fly Back into the Race)

Bengals: Andy Dalton’s 190-yards passing put him over 3,000 for the season, making him just the second quarterback in NFL history to throw for at least 3,000 in each of his first 3 seasons. Peyton Manning is the other. Ben Jarvis Green-Ellis had one of his better games of the season, picking up 92-yards and finding the end-zone for the games first score. The defense showed up big time, forcing 3 turnovers, and 2 sacks to help maintain their 2 game division lead.(8-4)

Ravens: It was close throughout on Thanksgiving night, but Baltimore held on in the end, stopping Pittsburgh on a late 2-point conversion to hold on and keep playoff hopes alive. It was a first quarter Joe Flacco to Torrey Smith 7-yard touchdown pass that put Baltimore up for good. And then it was the Justin Tucker, who continues to have a monster season, hitting on all 5 of his field-goal attempts. (6-6)

Steelers: Jerricho Cotchery’s 1-yard touchdown catch with a minute left in regulation looked like it might force overtime, but a failed 2-point conversion meant a loss. The Steelers couldn’t recover from an early 13-0 deficit, despite 73-yards and a rushing touchdown by Le’Veon Bell. Ben Roethlisberger did everything he could to help lead his team to a comeback win on Thanksgiving, throwing for over 250-yards, 2 touchdowns and no turnovers. But the road win and a .500 record wasn’t to be.(5-7)

Browns: Cleveland scored a touchdown in every quarter, but it wasn’t enough as they allowed a late score to Jacksonville. The loss spoiled a historic effort from wide-receiver Josh Gordon, whose team record 261-receiving-yards made him the first player in NFL history to have back-to-back 200-yard receiving games. Gordon also had 2 touchdowns, including one late in the 4th that looked like it might be the game-winner. Brandon Weedon had a very up and down day in his return to the starting lineup. He threw for 370 and 3 scores, but also threw two picks, lost a fumble and took a 4th quarter safety. The loss brings their losing streak to 3 games. (4-8)

AFC South (Indy on the Verge of Wrapping This One Up)

Colts: 1 more win, another Titans loss, or a tie would give them the AFC South crown thanks to their 8-point victory over Tennessee. It wasn’t an impressive win for the offense, but sometimes you have to win ugly. Adam Vinatieri continues to show why he’s one of the best kickers to ever play the game, hitting all 5 of his field-goal attempts, including a go-ahead 49-yarder in the 3rd quarter. Andrew Luck struggled again, finishing with just 200-yards passing, no touchdowns and an interception. Donald Brown’s touchdown run in the 4th sealed the victory. (8-4)

Titans: They held in there against Indy, even taking a 14-12 lead in the 3rd quarter, but the Colts defense got to Ryan Fitzpatrick. Tennessee’s quarterback finished with 201-yards passing, a touchdown, 54-yards rushing, but 3 interceptions and a fumble loss. Those turnovers helped a struggling Colts offense to set up those 5 Vinatieri field-goals. The loss basically puts them out of range of a division crown, but they are still in the hunt for a wildcard. (5-7)

Jaguars: Dont look now, but the Jags are on a winning streak, and no longer have the worst record in the league. Their 2nd straight win came in comeback fashion, capped off by a 20-yard touchdown pass from Chad Henne to Cecil Shorts with just 40-seconds left in regulation. Maurice Jones-Drew had himself a day, picking up 77-yards on the ground, and throwing an 8-yard touchdown, his first (you know because he’s a runningback). The defense wasn’t great, but they got the win anyway. (3-9)

Texans: Early on, it looked like they might snap their skid, instead the losing streak hit 10 thanks to a 3-point loss to New England. Ben Tate was huge in the red-zone, scoring 3 touchdowns of 20, 10 and 8 yards. Case Keenum added a rushing score of his own, to go along with his 270-yards passing and 1 interception. Andre Johsnon finished with over 100-yards receiving. They put up a good fight against a very good team, but a final game-winning drive stalled and they couldn’t get that 6th lead change for-the-win. (2-10)

AFC WEST (The Chiefs Picked the Wrong Time to Start Losing)

Broncos: They put themselves in a touch position early against a good team, but for the 3rd straight game KC’s defense was lacking, and Peyton Manning took advantage. After 2 early interceptions, Manning went on to throw for 400 yards and 5 touchdown passes. Eric Decker was the beneficiary, registering a career day 174-yards and 4 touchdown passes. Rookie running back Montee Ball added a career high 103-yards on just 4 carries. One concern was the fact that Von Miller went down twice in the game, though he would continue both times. The win all but ensures them the AFC West crown after taking both games of the season series against Kansas City. (10-2)

Chiefs: From 9 wins in a row, to 3 losses in a row. The offense did all it could, picking up over 400-yards of total offense, and going up 21-7 in the 1st half. Add to that a franchise record 108-yard kick-off return touchdown from rookie Knile Davis, and it looked like it might be their day. But the Chiefs defense betrayed them again, allowing Eric Decker to run circles around Champ Bailey all day. They’re lucky the AFC wildcard isn’t as tightly bunched as the NFC, as they have a 3 game lead over the 6th seed, so their playoff dreams are still very much in tact. (9-3)

Chargers: The defense wasn’t the problem, it was the offense against a good Cincinnati squad. Their lone touchdown was scored by tight-end Ladarius Green, in the 2nd quarter. San Diego was held to just 1 field-goal in the 2nd half. Keenan Allen found a way to have another good day, catching 8 Philip Rivers passes for 106-yards. Rivers finished the loss with 252-passing-yards, the Green TD pass, and an interception. This team has been inconsistent all year, and Sunday was just another example of that. (5-7)

Raiders: They returned the opening kick-off fumble for a touchdown. And gave themselves a nice 2-score cushion on Thanksgiving, but the Cowboys are just a better team. After those 21 first half points, they managed just 1 field-goal in the 2nd half. 2nd year wide-out Andre Holmes had a nice game, 5 catches for 136-yards, but that’s where the good days ended. Sure, Rashard Jennings found the end zone twice, but only had 35-yards rushing. Matt McGloin threw a pick, and no touchdowns as a part of his 255-yard passing performance.(4-8)

There you have it. If week 13 wasn’t fun enough for you, week 14 promises to be even more eventful as the playoffs inch closer.

12 down. 5 to go. Divisions have tightened up, making for a fun last month of the season.

How do I sum up week 12? Big Losses, Bad Losses, and a tie… oh my god football is great.

NFC EAST (It’s Officially a Two Horse Race)

Eagles: Bye Week. (6-5)

Cowboys: Tony Romo has been exceptional in the 4th quarter this season, and showed it once again. Big 3rd down conversions helped set up a Dan Carpenter game winning 35-yard field goal. Romo finished with 2 touchdown passes, both to Jason Witten. Dez Bryant finished with 102-yards, and DeMarco Murray ran for 86-yards on just 14 carries. A big fumble recovery for a touchdown helped get the Boys the win. Now the fate of the division lies in two match-ups with Philly starting next week. (6-5)

Giants: A late second field-goal sunk any hopes they had of completing a huge playoff resurgence. First half struggles included Victor Cruz’s first fumble returned for a score, and an inability to get into the end-zone. They ran the ball effectively with Brandon Jacobs and Andre Brown combining for nearly 200-yards, but abandoned the run in the red-zone.Eli Manning finished completing just 50% of his passes, but threw 2 touchdowns and no turnovers. They managed to score 15 unanswered to tie the score late at 21, but the defense struggled to stop Tony Romo on 3rd down in what became the Cowboys game winning drive. Strange play-calling and penalties are the biggest reason for their 4 game win streak coming to end.They lost both games to Dallas by a combined 8 points. (4-7)

Redskins: He’s not the same guy as the Robert Griffin III that own rookie of the year last season. RGIII finished with just 127-yards on 17-27 passing. THe offense couldn’t muster anything more than a couple Kyle Forbath field goals, both coming in the 2nd quarter. There won’t be a 7-game win streak to propel them into the playoffs this season. Now they have to hope they can beat the giants to stay out of last place, and not go from first-to-worst. (3-8)

NFC NORTH (A Tie Means Nobody Won this week)

Lions: They had a chance to get a last second win, instead Matthew Stafford threw his 4th interception of the game, sealing their fate. Stafford threw 3 touchdowns to go with those 4 turnovers. Calvin Johnson went over 100-yards again, while Nate Burleson had a good day in his return from injury, catching 7 passes for 77-yards and a score. This team continues to show potential, then have let-down games like this against bad teams. (6-5)

Bears:Josh McGown passed for 352-yards and two touchdowns with an interception. Chicago had a Devin Hester 62-yard punt return for a touchdown nullified by a holding penalty in the fourth quarter. But it didn’t matter, since the defense couldn’t stop the Rams offense. That’s nothing new for a defense that has struggled since their 3-0 start. Lucky for them, Detroit couldn’t put any separation between them.(6-5)

Packers: After an early touchdown, Green Bay couldn’t do anything on offense. That is until Matt Flynn came to the rescue, bringing them back to tie the game at 23 in the 4th quarter. But didn’t do it alone, getting a lot of help from running back Eddie Lacy, who got back over the 100-yard mark and found the end-zone. Scott Tolzien wasn’t horrible, scoring a touchdown on the ground, but he was just 7-of-17 before his benching. They forced overtime, and kicked a field-goal to take the lead, but because of the new overtime rules, Minnesota tied, and that’s how it ended. It was the first tie in the league since November of last season. (5-5-1)

Vikings: For 3 quarters, they shined. Adrian Peterson led the way with 146-yards rushing and a score, though he did lose a fumble. Blair Walsh continues to show why he’s one of the top kickers in the league, hitting on all four of his attempts. Christian Ponder threw 2 touchdowns and didn’t turn the ball over. But the defense wavered in the 2nd half, and nothing good happened in overtime. A tie for this team is better than nothing, but they had a 3rd win in sight and let it slip away.(2-8-1)

NFC SOUTH (The Final 4 Weeks are Going to be Fun)

Saints: They weren’t sharp, but they made the plays when they had to in order to get the 4-point road win. Drew Brees threw his two touchdowns to his tight-ends Jimmy Graham and Benjamin Watson. Pierre Thomas led the way on the ground with 73-yards on just 10 carries. All that damage came in the 1st half, with a Garrett Hartley field-goal the only New Orleans scoring of the 2nd half. But the defense pitched a shutout in the 2nd half, giving this team just enough for the win.(9-2)

Panthers: More late game heroics for Cam Newton, who engineered a game winning drive capped by a Greg Olsen touchdown with 43-seconds left in regulation. It was a rare slow start, 16 points allowed in the 1st half that made the comeback necessary. The game winner was Newton’s lone touchdown pass, though he did find pay dirt on the ground. Other than that rushing TD, Carolina had no real success on the ground.But the defense showed up in the 2nd half, pitching a shutout. The 7-game win streak is their longest in a decade. They kept pace with New Orleans ahead of their first match-up of the season next week, a game that becomes a battle for first. (8-3)

Buccaneers: Three straight wins, and they took down their best opponent in Detroit this time around. According to NFL.com, their 3 game win streak after losing the first eight of the season puts them in rare company, joining the 1978 St. Louis Cardinals as the only teams to do so. Mike Glennon continues to show he can win in this league, completing 14-of-21 passes for 247-yards and 2 touchdowns. Bobby Rainey didn’t come close to his break out performance from a week ago on the ground, but it didn’t matter. It was Tiquan Underwood that had the break out week. The 5th year wide-out went for 108 and 2 scores on the day. And obviously the defense did a good job turning Stafford over 4 times to help hold on in the end.(3-8)

Falcons: A loss on Thursday Night meant a lot of bad things for Atlanta. Their 5th straight defeat ensured their first losing season since 2008, and eliminated them from playoff contention. This is not how anyone saw a Superbowl favorite showing up this season. Not saying much, but Matt Ryan had one of his best performances of the season, completing 30 of 39 passes for 292 yards with no interceptions, but no touchdowns either. Steven Jackson ran one in for his first rushing score as a Falcon. 2 Matt Bryant field goals made up the rest of the lack luster offense. The defense did a pretty good job holding a good New Orleans team to 17 points. (2-9)

NFC WEST (The Race For 2nd is On)

Seahawks: Bye Week. (10-1)

49ers: It’s always a good day when your defense holds the opponent to field goals. And he wasn’t good last week, but boy did Colin Kaepernick look good this week. San Fran’s man under center threw 3 touchdowns, finished with a total of 255-yards and no turnovers. Anquan Boldin was the recipient of two of those touchdown passes, with the other going to Vernon Davis. The run game was lacking, but they did enough to win and keep pace with the cards. (7-4)

Cardinals: This team continues to win, and this week they made a statement against a very good team. Carson Palmer threw for 2 scores and over 300-yards. Larry Fitzgerald caught five passes for 52-yards and 2 touchdowns, and according to NFL.com, become the youngest player in NFL history to reach 11,000 yards receiving. Jay Feely added 4 field-goals to the 40-point effort. The defense shut down the Colts offense, including a Karlos Dansby pick 6 in their 20-point 2nd quarter. Head Coach Bruce Arians beat the team that he was the interim head coach for a year ago when Chuck Pagano fought leukemia. They’ve moved themselves into playoff contention.(7-4)

Rams: I’ve said it all year, this defense is for real. And this week, the offense matched their greatness with a season high 42 points. It’s their 2nd game in a row where they’ve looked unstoppable on offense, and against good teams. 21 in the 1st quarter made it an uphill battle all game for Chicago, and they couldn’t recover. Kellen Clemens’ performance wasn’t anything to write home about, 167-yards, and a touchdown. The story was the run game. For a team that took til week 9 to drive it in on the ground, the Rams picked up rushing touchdowns from 3 different players. Rookie rushers Billy Cunningham and Zac Stacy each found the end zone, as did rookie wide-receiver Tavon Austin. The defense got a pick and forced 2 fumbles. (5-6)

AFC EAST (A Big Win All But Ensures New England’s Division Championship)

Patriots: An atrocious 1st half was followed up by an incredible 2nd half. Two early fumbles which led to 2 touchdowns put New England down 14-0 quick. Down 24-0 at the half, 31 unanswered points in the 2nd half to take a 1-score lead in the 4th quarter. Tom Brady was brilliant after early struggles, finishing with 344-yards passing and 3 touchdowns. Julian Edelman had a huge night, finishing with 9 catches for 110-yards and two touchdowns. After the defense allowed Denver to tie the score forcing overtime, Stephen Gostkowski hit his 21st straight to give them the big come-from-behind victory. (8-3)

Jets: It was all bad on Sunday, leading to their first 2-game losing streak of the season. Geno Smith was as bad as he’s been all season, completing just 9 of 22 passes along with committing 3 turnovers. The run game didn’t help, low-lighted by a Chris Ivory ankle sprain. It doesn’t help when the offense finishes just 1-for-12 on 3rd down conversions either. The defense wasn’t terrible, but they did lose Antonio Cromartie to a hip injury. (5-6)

Dolphins: They got off to a hot start against one of the hottest teams in the league, but then the Panthers defense tightened up, and the Miami offense had no answer. The run game continues to suffer following the bully scandal and the loss of two key offensive linemen. Ryan Tannehill passed for over 300-yards and threw a touchdown, while Caleb Sturgis hit 3 of his 4 field goal attempts. But all the good came in the 1st half before they could do nothing right in the 2nd half. Mike Wallace had 127-yards receiving and a touchdown, but missed on a possible game-winner from Tannehill. (5-6)

Bills: Bye Week. (4-7)

AFC NORTH (The Cats are Still Sitting Pretty, but Things Are Tightening Up)

Ravens: Jacoby Jones has a big day receiving, finishing with 103-yards on just 4 catches. Joe Flacco finished with 1 touchdown thrown to Jones, 1 pick and 273-yards passing. Justin Tucker continues to come up big, hitting all 4 of his field-goal attempts, including a 53-yarder. The run game disappeared again, but it didn’t matter with how the defense played. They didn’t allow the Jets to sustain drives, while recording 3 sacks and forcing 3 turnovers. The win puts Baltimore back in contention for a wildcard spot. (5-6)

Browns: The season got off to a promising start, but losing 6-of-7 have turned it into another season that could end at the bottom of the division. Injuries at quarterback have defined the season, and their 3rd starter of the season went down, when Jason Campbell left with a head injury after being sacked. Brandon Weedon came back in, but couldn’t help stop another loss. 4 turnovers, including 3 lost fumbles led to the two score loss. Not even Josh Gordon’s 227-yards receiving could help stave off defeat. (4-7)

AFC South (Indy Running Out of Luck?)

Colts: This team can’t continue to get off to such bad starts. After a strong 1st half of the season, this team is starting to show why a lack of a run game could hurt them in the playoffs. Andrew Luck came within 2-yards of being the team leader in rushing against Arizona, which can’t happen with a non-mobile quarterback. Luck wasn’t good passing either, throwing a pick 6, and throwing a garbage time touchdown to Coby Fleener. At this point, they’re just lucky they built up a big lead in the division with Tennessee not going away. (7-4)

Titans: Don’t look now, but Tennessee is the number 6 seed in the AFC. It took til the 2nd half to score a touchdown, but Ryan Fitzpatrick found the end-zone twice, including a game-winning strike to Kendall Wright with 10 seconds left in regulation. The defense held Oakland to one touchdown and field-goal attempts, and they were helped out by a couple misses. They also won the turnover battle, which was key in a 1 score game.(5-6)

Jaguars: Maurice Jones-Drew continues his 2nd half resurgence, rushing for 84-yards on 14 carries including a touchdown. Chad Henne managed the game well, throwing for 239 with no touchdowns but no turnovers. The defense held late as Houston drove down the field, when rookie Ryan Davis grabbed a deflected ball for the interception to seal the victory. (2-9)

Texans: Things went from bad to worst for a once highly thought of Houston squad. Make it 9 straight losses,dropping them into a tie for last place after the home loss to the Jaguars. Case Keenum was back under center after being benched in the 2nd half last week in favor of Matt Schaub. Keenum with his worst performance of his young career, completing just 18 of 34 passes for 169-yards and an interception. It’s hard to win when you can’t do anything but kick field-goals, no matter who you’re playing. (2-9)

AFC WEST (Denver Blows Opportunity to take a lead in the Division)

Broncos: A week after coming up big, Peyton Manning came up small on the road against New England. A season low 150-yards, two touchdowns and a pick, Manning couldn’t pick up a big road win despite being spotted a defensive touchdown and good field position on another early turnover. Knowshon Moreno did his best to save Denver, rushing for a career high 224-yards and a score. Bad news on Moreno, he as found on crutches after the game. The defense couldn’t do anything in the 2nd half, allowing the Pats to score on their first 5 drives of the 2nd half.(9-2)

Chiefs: Defensive injuries are piling up at the wrong time, leading to their 2nd straight loss. Both Tamba Hali and Justin Houston left in the 1st half with bad injuries. Alex Smith threw the ball as good as he has all year, going for nearly 300-yards, 3 scores and 1 pick. Jamaal Charles added his 7th and 8th rushing scores on the year as apart of a 115-yard performance. Dwayne Bowe’s touchdown catch with under 3 to play looked to be the dagger to help overcome their injuries, but it wasn’t to be.(9-2)

Chargers: Make it 11 wins versus the Chiefs for Philip Rivers. San Diego’s QB took advantage of Kansas City’s defensive injuries, torching the depleted secondary for 392-yards and three touchdowns, the final one a 26-yarder to Seyi Ajirotutu with 24 seconds remaining to snap their 3-game losing streak. Ryan Matthews and Danny Woodhead added scores on the ground. Their defense wasn’t great, but they were lucky Kansas City was so banged up, and that the offense clicked on all cylinders. (5-6)

Raiders: Sebastian Janikowski doesn’t miss many, but he missed two on Sunday, in a 3-point loss. Matt McGloin wasn’t too bad, throwing for 260, a score and a pick. Rashad Jennings couldn’t crack the 100-yard mark again, but it wasn’t a bad effort by Oakland. A win would’ve put them in the 6 seed in the AFC, instead they fall further down in the playoff hunt, and drop to the bottom of the West.(4-7)

That’s it. Week 13 approaches as division foes square off to better their playoff standings, play spoiler and pick up as many wins as possible.

10 down. 7 to go. No more win-less teams, and just the 1 undefeated team left as week 10 wrapped up.

A number of quarterbacks went down, while many crazy, circus catches were made. Long story short, this week was fun.

4 teams were off this week: the Patriots, the Jets, the Chiefs and the Browns.

NFC EAST (The Eagles Have Flown Into a Tie for First)

Cowboys: A week after winning despite not running the ball, Dallas went run early and often. DeMarco Murray had 80 yards rushing and a touchdown at the half. But they abandoned the run in the 2nd half, Murray finished with just 89 yards and Tony Romo couldn’t pick up the slack. Dallas’ QB completed less than 50% of his passes, and threw just 1 touchdown pass. Injuries continue to come on to key members on defense, this time to linebacker Sean Lee. All of those injuries are showing themselves, with this defense allowing the most yards in a 10 game span in franchise history. They continue to be up and down, and now it has cost them sole possession of 1st place. (5-5)

Eagles: Nick Foles was never going to put up 7 touchdown passes for a second straight week, but Philly’s QB did enough to get a second straight win. Foles threw for 228 yards and 3 scores. And how about this stat: just the 3rd QB to throw at least 16TDs before their first interception of the season. The other two: Milt Plum in 1960, and Peyton Manning earlier this season. LeSean McCoy had a monster day on the ground, rushing for 155 yards, while Riley Cooper added two 3rd quarter touchdowns to help Philadelphia pull away. (5-5)

Giants: Make it 3 straight in the win column for New York.The special teams put them down with an opening kickoff fumble which was then turned into 7. Then they got it back with a blocked punt for a score, New York’s first since 1988. Then normal scoring took place. Andre Brown returned from a fractured leg suffered in pre-season, and looked like his old self. Speaking of a guy who’s done big things coming off a big injury, Terrell Thomas was named NFC Defensive Player of the week after week 8, and he made his presence felt in the 3rd quarter this week. A 47-yard interception return helped the Giants find the end zone on a Brown run and take a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Going back to before the injury suffered late last year, it gives the back a rushing TD in 6 straight games. Eli Manning survived his 3rd pick six of the season. (3-6)

Redskins: It’s hard to lose a game when you don’t turn the ball over, but that’s what happened on the road to start week 10. Alfred Morris had a good day on the ground, while Robert Griffin III threw 3 touchdowns, but it wasn’t enough. They had a shot to tie at the end 4th quarter, but Santana Moss couldn’t get his second foot in bounds on a pass in the corner of the end zone on fourth down. Washington was 3-6 last season when they went on a 7-0 run to steal the Division and get into the playoffs. (3-6)

NFC NORTH (And Just Like That the Pack Aren’t Leading the Pack)

Lions: Make it a season sweep of their division rivals from Chicago, thanks in large part to a stop on a two-point conversion with 40 seconds left in regulation.Calvin Johnson’s two touchdowns moved into first for the most TD receptions in Lions history. Matthew Stafford completed just over 50% of his passes, but still managed to throw for 3 scores. Reggie Bush had 89 of his 105 yards rushing in the 2nd half to help Detroit move into a tie for 1st. (6-3)

Bears: Jay Cutler wasn’t very sharp in his return from a groin injury, throwing for just 1 touchdown and 1 interception. To make matters worse, he left the game with an ankle injury. Brandon Marshall benefited from having Cutler back, grabbing that one score in a 139 yard day. Alshon Jeffery also had over 100 yards receiving on the day. But other than that, no one else really contributed on offense, with Matt Forte gaining just 33 yards on 17 carries. The defense didn’t do a good job stopping the run or getting to Stafford.(5-4)

Packers: They lost Aaron Rodgers last week, then lost backup Seneca Wallace in the 1st quarter this week around.This team had been able to find ways to score after losing many big targets in the passing game, but it’s hard to win when you get down to your 3rd string QB, especially as fast as this team did. Third year QB Scott Tolzien came in and threw two interceptions. The defense couldn’t help out, allowing the Eagles to run all over them. Mason Crosby continues to struggle kicking the ball, missing two of his four field-goal attempts. Eddie Lacy did a good decent on the ground, while Jarrett Boykin went over 100 yards receiving. (5-4)

Vikings: Christian Ponder went down late, but not before he helped lead his team to their first win since week 3 against Pittsburgh. After an early interception, Ponder settled down to throw 2 touchdowns, before leaving with a left shoulder injury late in the 3rd quarter. Adrian Peterson with a second straight big week, with 2 touchdowns on 75 yards rushing. Tight-end John Carlson with the big day in the receiving game, grabbing 7 balls for 98 yards and a score. The defense did enough to hold off the Skins in the end. (2-7)

NFC SOUTH (Things Are Getting Interesting)

Saints: After a bad road loss in week 9, a big bounce back moved them to 5-0 at home.Receiver Marques Colston and running back Darren Sproles both returned from injury and made their impact felt immediately, with a combined 3 touchdowns in the 1st half.Drew Brees was on point all night, and finished with nearly 400 yards passing and 4 touchdowns. Colston, Pierre Thomas and Mark Ingram (career high 145 yards rushing) each finished with over 100 total yards. Rookie Kenny Stills, Ingram and Thomas each found the end-zone as well. New Orleans finished with 600-plus total yards on offense, and their 40 first downs set an NFL record. (7-2)

Panthers: This team is for real. Make it 5 straight wins after absolutely dominating last years NFC Superbowl representatives, the San Francisco 49ers. The league’s only defense ranked top 10 in the rush and pass, as well as points allowed, showed they’re not there by accident. DeAngelo Williams scored the games only touchdown, while Graham Gano’s 53-yard field goal in the 4th proved to be the game-winner. Cam Newton didn’t do much against a good niners defense. Luke Kuechly continue to have a good year defensively, with a game high 11-tackles and one of the teams 5 sacks.(6-3)

Falcons: They’re just not the same team this season. Matt Ryan finally figured out how to avoid the turnovers, something to take away from a turnover happy Seattle defense. But he couldn’t even reach the 180 yards passing mark to go with no run game. Not to mention the defense had no answers for the Seahawks. It’s their 3rd straight loss, putting them two losses away from their first losing season since 2007 or pre-Ryan.(2-7)

Buccaneers: Watching the Jaguars get their first win must have inspired Tampa Bay. They saw their 15-7 halftime lead evaporate heading into the 4th quarter, but their defense pitched a final quarter shutout to give the offense a chance. Mike Glennon led the team on a long drive to start the 4th, and it ended with a 1-yard touchdown pass to tackle Donald Penn. The run defense was on point to say the least… holding the Dolphins to just 2 yards on the ground, a staggering number. The defense added a safety 2 key sacks and a pick to their impressive night. (1-8)

NFC WEST (The Hawks Are Flying High)

Seahawks: After two straight shaky wins, there was nothing shaky this week against Atlanta. Marshawn Lynch continues to live up to the nickname “beastmode” after a averaging 6 yards a carry, finishing with 145 and a rushing touchdown. Russell Wilson threw connected with Golden Tate on a one-handed grab in the corner of the end-zone as a part of his 2 touchdown day. It was a rematch of a 2012 playoff game, a match-up won by Atlanta. How quickly things change. (9-1)

49ers: Colin Kaepernick couldn’t get anything going against a stout Panthers defense. The mobile QB couldn’t crack 100 yards passing, and only gained 16 yards on the ground. His one interception iced the victory for Carolina. Phil Dawson was the only offense, kicking 3 field goals, including a season high 53-yarder. Frank Gore ran for 82 yards, while Mario Manningham caught 3 passes for 30 yards in his season debut. (6-3)

Cardinals: They almost gave it away, but held on to move match their win total from a year ago. The Cards took a quick 7-nothing lead when on the game’s first play John Abraham caused a fumble and Matt Shaugnessy returned it 6 yards for the score. Carson Palmer threw 2 touchdowns, but also threw a pick and lost a fumble. It was Rashard Mendenhall’s fumble deep in their own territory that allowed the Texans to stay in the game, but in the end the defense held. (5-4)

Rams: Snapping a 3 game losing streak was due to a big defensive performance, and this time they got a lot of help on offense as well. Tavon Austin had just two catches, but he made them both count; 138 yards and two scores. Add a 98-yard punt return for a touchdown, and the rookie helped blow out the previously 6-2 Indianapolis Colts. 3 interceptions of Andrew Luck, to go with a strip sack, helped St Louis make easy work and pick up their first win since losing Sam Bradford. (4-6)

AFC EAST (The Two Best Teams Didn’t Play)

Patriots: Bye Week. (7-2)

Jets: Bye Week. (5-4)

Dolphins: They got off to a slow start, but were able to rally back to score 19 unanswered points to hold a lead heading into the 4th over a win-less bucs team. But it wasn’t enough as they couldn’t get anything done in the 4th, losing by 3. Ryan Tannehill threw two touchdown passes and Caleb Strugis hit on two field-goal attempts in the comeback effort. Their biggest problem came on the ground, with the team managing just 2 measly yards on the ground all night. In their first game since the bully scandal really blew up, they sure did miss their offensive linemen. The loss drops them further back from the top two teams, with a match-up with the Jets upcoming. (4-5)

Bills: EJ Manuel’s return wasn’t a good one. After coming back from an MCL injury, the rookie only managed 155 passing yards, a score and a turnover. He couldn’t help himself out on the ground, and the rest of the backs didn’t do much against a Steelers defense that needed to bounce back after a horrible week 9 performance. Rookie tight-end Chris Gragg scored the Bills lone touchdown in the 4th quarter. Make it 3 straight losses for the East’s bottom-dwellers. (3-7)

AFC NORTH (Cincy Falters, Still Holds a 2 Game Lead)

Bengals: Andy Dalton connected on a crazy tipped hail mary touchdown as time expired to AJ Green to send the game to overtime. Green finished with a 151 yards receiving thanks to that 51-yard TD catch. But a questionable play call on 4th and 2 in their territory gave Baltimore good field position, and they ultimately lost on a field-goal. Dalton threw 2 touchdowns, but also threw 3 interceptions in their 2nd straight loss.(6-4)

Browns: Bye Week. (4-5)

Ravens:Justin Tucker’s 46-yard field-goal in overtime saved Baltimore from a crushing loss at home, and snapped their 3 game skid. They blew a 17-0 halftime lead when they didn’t bat down the Bengals hail mary attempt. The run game continues to be non-existent, while Joe Flacco continues to under perform. Sure he threw two touchdown passes, to Torrey Smith and Dallas Clark, but he also threw two interceptions, and fumbled in the fourth. They found a way to win, a division game at that, and that’s all that matters for the Superbowl Champs.(4-5)

Steelers: After a franchise low on defense a week ago, the Steelers stepped up and made easy work the Bills. They held Buffalo to just 95 yards on the ground, nearly 50 below their average while giving up just 10 points, after 55 a week ago. Add 3 sacks and a pick to their defensive effort. Ben Roethlisberger wasn’t great, passing for just 204, a touchdown and an interception, while Le’Veon Bell added 52 and a score on the ground. But they did enough for the home win. Shaun Suisham added 3 field-goals. According to ESPN stats, Pittsburgh is now 17-2, including the playoffs, against rookie quarterbacks since 2004.(3-6)

AFC South (The Jags Won and the Colts Didn’t- Fact)

Colts: Talk about a letdown. Andrew Luck threw 3 interceptions, and lost a fumble, and still managed to throw for over 350 yards. And when your not mobile quarter back leads the team in rushing, you know you’re in trouble. This team doesn’t lose often, let alone this badly and at home, but an improved Rams defense and bad special teams play burned them. Their lone score came in the 3rd quarter, a Donald Brown score, capped off with a 2-point conversion to Coby Fleener. Their 30-point loss was the largest margin of any game this week. Lucky for them the Titans lost, so they still hold a 2 game lead in the division.(6-3)

Titans: Jake Locker just can’t stay healthy, leaving with what is probably a season ending lisfranc injury. Ryan Fitzpatrick did a good job in relief, running in for a score and throwing 2 more. But the damage was done early, and Tennessee couldn’t recover against a previously win-less Jaguar team. They had a chance late, but with no help on the ground this week, the win-less Jags took advantage. Four turnovers didn’t help in what ended up a 2-point game.(4-5)

Texans: For the first time in franchise history, Houston is on a 7-game losing streak. A third good start for youngster Case Keenum, but again, it results in a loss. Keenum threw 3 touchdowns, including 2 to Andre Johnson. But he did turn the ball over on the games first play, putting them in the hole from the get go. JJ Watt did all he could to keep his team in the game, forcing two fumbles, including one late in the 4th that helped score and get to within a field-goal of tying the score. Gary Kubiak wasn’t with the team after collapsing at halftime in Indianapolis, but he could be back sooner rather than later after suffering a “mini-stroke.” (2-7)

Jaguars: A 13-game losing streak dating back to last season finally comes to an end, and on the road no less. Maurice Jones-Drew and Jordan Todman each ran in scores, but only combined for 52 yards on the ground. Chad Henne wasn’t good, throwing two picks to no touchdowns. A fourth quarter safety turned out to be the difference in the game.The reason they won, their defense turned the Titans over 4 times.(1-8)

AFC WEST (It Was Always Going to be a 2 Team Race)

Chiefs: Bye Week. (9-0)

Broncos: Peyton Manning threw for 4 touchdowns, 3 to Demaryius Thomas to move within a game of the division lead. Manning took a shot late to his ankles and came up hobbling, and underwent an MRI early Monday. The team was without head coach John Fox, who had heart surgery last week. But it didn’t slow them down. Knowshon Moreno had a big day, with over 100 yards of total offense. Julius Thomas nearly cracked the 100 yard mark, and scored Manning’s fourth TD pass. (8-1)

Chargers: Phil Rivers wasn’t great, throwing for just 218 and a score. It’s a second straight loss by just 1 score, dropping them under .500. Ryan Matthews was better than a week ago on the ground, finding the end zone once, but again didn’t crack the 100 yard mark after two straight games doing so. This team continues to be very streaky, something they can’t afford with arguably the two best teams in the AFC both in their division. (4-5)

Raiders: They scored 17 points off turnovers.You can call Tracy Porter a Manning magnet. The 6th year corner-back is the only player with a pick 6 against both Peyton and Eli Manning. But it was their own turnover late in the 3rd, a Terrelle Pryor interception, that put them down for good. Pryor was pressured all game long, and despite getting passes off early, eventually it got to be too much. Rashard Jennings did all he could do on the ground in place of the injured Darren McFadden, but it wasn’t enough. According to CBS, this was their 9th straight loss to NFC opponents. (3-6)

Through 7 weeks, we’re down to 2 win-less teams, while just 1 undefeated squad remains.

New Orleans and Oakland had their byes.

I know it’s the NFL, and injuries are apart of the game, but this week seemed to contain a lot more season ending ones than normal.

NFC EAST (We Have a Winning Team Atop the Division)

Cowboys: Despite many injuries, the defense came to play. They harassed Nick Foles all day, then knocked him out late in the 3rd quarter with an injury. Not to mention holding a high octane offense in Philly to under 300 yards of total offense. A decent day on the ground without DeMarco Murray, along with just enough from Tony Romo and a Phillip Tanner TD run, means a winning record and an NFC East lead all to themselves. Dallas is also now 3-0 in the division. (4-3)

Eagles: Down two quarterbacks following a head injury to Nick Foles, Matt Barkley saw his first action, and it wasn’t a great debut. Three interceptions, no touchdowns for the fourth round pick out of USC. The defense did all they could against the Cowboys, picking off Romo twice, and holding him to one touchdown. The score was just 3-0 boys at the half. (3-4)

Redskins: A good day for the offense, with both Alfred Morris and RGIII running for over 80 yards a piece. Add 298 yards and 2TDs from Griffin to that against a take-a-way happy Bears defense. But this day belonged to Roy Helu Jr, who scored 3 touchdowns, including the game winner with 45 seconds left. Rookie tight-end Jordan Reed had a big day as well, catching 9 passes for a 134-yards including getting into the end-zone once. (2-4)

Giants: It wasn’t pretty, but it was a win, New York’s first of the season. For the third straight game, the Giants defense shutdown a top 5 running back, this time the reigning MVP. And for the first time this season, the defense pitched a shutout, forcing three Vikings turnovers to their one. This while Eli Manning finally played turnover free football. That’s not to say the Giants QB looked great. There were a couple missed picks by the Vikings, to go with some poorly thrown balls and drops, but a turnover free day from the offense is something this team desperately needed. Ruben Randle did lose a fumble on special teams, but made up for it with a 24-yard touchdown catch. Peyton Hillis made an immediate impact running the ball, as did rookie Michael Cox, even if the numbers don’t show it. Philly’s up next before their bye week. (1-6)

NFC NORTH (New Leader, But Still Crowded at the Top)

Packers: Aaron Rodgers and company got off to a fast start against Cleveland, leading 14-0 after the 1st quarter, and they never let up. Rodgers threw for 3 touchdowns, while rookie back Eddie Lacy added another on the ground. They’ve leaped back into first, but it came with a cost. Tight-end Jermichael Finley, who was getting more targets with the loss of Randall Cobb, was carted off the field in the 2nd half after a big helmet-to-helmet hit. As of Monday night, Finley was out of the ICU, had movement in his extremities, and is out indefinitely.(4-2)

Lions: Matthew Stafford had a big day, thanks in large part to his favorite target. He hooked up with Calvin Johnson to the tune of two touchdowns and 155 yards. Stafford ended up over 300 yards, something a passer hadn’t done to the Bengals in 20 games. But it wasn’t enough, as rookie punter Sam Martin shanked a kick late in the game, which set up a Cincy game winning field-goal as time expired. (4-3)

Bears: Devin Hester and Matt Forte were the stars. Hester tied an NFL record with his 19th return touchdown, an 81-yard punt return in the 1st half. Forte ran in for two touchdowns, including a 50-yarder in the 3rd quarter. But the defense had no answer for RGIII and the Redskins, and it didn’t help when they lost Jay Cutler to a groin injury late in the 1st half. They held two short lived leads, including 41-38 late, but it’s hard to win when you allow nearly 500 yards of total offense. (4-3)

Vikings: How Josh Freeman is their best option is quarterback astounds me, but maybe we give the guy a break, as he learns a new system. But what I really want to know is how a game changer like Adrian Peterson only ran the ball 13 times. I get the Giants did a good job stopping him, but he’s the type of back that no matter how a game is going, can rip a long one. And this was a close game throughout. That being said, without a special teams touchdown, there’d be no real positives for this team. Sure they didn’t do terribly on defense, but they also missed a couple opportunities.(1-4)

NFC SOUTH (It’s Still All About the Big Easy)

Saints: Bye Week. (5-1)

Panthers: Another good day from Cam Newton and their defense helped Carolina double up the Rams 30-15. Newton didn’t put up big numbers, throwing for just over 200 yards, but was accurate and smart with the football. The run game was adequate with Newton teaming up with DeAngelo Williams and Mike Tolbert to combine for over 100 yards on the ground. The defense forced two turnovers, racked up 4 sacks and knocked the Rams Sam Bradford from the game. (3-3)

Falcons: Harry Douglas was huge in the absence of Julio Jones and Roddy White. The 5th year pro had seven receptions for a career-best 149 yards, including a 37-yard touchdown catch. The Bucs made it interesting but the defense had its moments, like when safety Williams Moore sacked Mike Glennon to force a fumble on Tampa Bay’s first possession. Safety Thomas DeCoud added a 30-yard TD on a fumble recovery. It was a much needed win for a team many thought had chances at a Superbowl run. (2-4)

Buccaneers: The offense had probably it’s best game of the year, and had a chance in the 4th, but couldn’t muster more than 2 field-goals in the final period. Vincent Jackson continues to put up big numbers, grabbing 10 balls for 138-yards and 2 scores. But in a winless year, things got worse. Tampa Lost star running back Doug Martin for the year to a torn labrum. (0-6)

NFC WEST (The Hawks Continue to Fly Higher than the Rest)

Seahawks: They never trailed Sunday against Arizona, but didn’t pull away until the 2nd half. Seattle played well on both sides of the football. Their defense picked off Carson Palmer twice and dropped the Cards QB 7 times. The offense turned both those turnovers into touchdowns as a part of a 3 score day for Russell Wilson. Wilson did fumble twice, but a fourth touchdown on the ground by Marshawn Lynch helped the hawks pull away. Wide-receiver Sidney Rice found the endzone for the 3rd time in 2013. (6-1)

49ers: The score says they only won by 14, but their fourth straight victory was never really close. Up 17-0 at halftime, it took until the 4th for Tennessee to do anything productive on offense. Colin Kaepernick wasn’t at his best in the air, but on the ground, him and Frank Gore did work. Kaepernick found paydirt once, while Gore scored two rushing TDs. The 49ers special teams added a score, when Kassim Osgood recovered a muffed punt for a touchdown. (4-2)

Rams: Sam Bradford was carted off late in the 4th, and it was revealed that he did in fact tear his ACL, and is lost for the season. But the game was basically over by then thanks in large part to penalties. St Louis was flagged for five personal fouls alone, and defensive end Chris Long was ejected for throwing a punch. Turnovers and a lack of a ground game didn’t help.(3-4)

Cardinals: They kept it close early, but couldn’t avoid losing their 7th divisional game. With absolutely no help on the ground, Palmer was forced to throw the ball 45 times, and managed just one touchdown and two interceptions. Palmer did manage to spread the completions around, with 9 players registering receptions. Jay Feely had a good day kicking the ball, going 3-3 on his field-goals, with a long of 52. (3-4)

AFC EAST (We Have a Race)

Patriots: They rallied late in the 4th to force overtime, but a new league penalty call helped set up New York’s game winner. Chris Jones was called for and unsportsmanlike conduct for pushing a teammate forward in an attempt to block the kick. But the game only went to overtime after New England rallied in the 4th after allowing the Jets to score 17 unanswered in the 3rd. For the 2nd time in 3 games, Tom Brady didn’t throw a touchdown, and threw a pick 6 in the first half. It was the run game and the leg of Stephen Gostkowski that gave them a chance in overtime. Rob Gronkowski had a big day in his season debut, catching 8 Brady passes for 114-yards. (5-2)

Jets: A risky 56-yard field goal attempt in overtime almost gave New England a chance to win it. But the penalty on Jones gave New York new life, and Nick Folk an easier attempt from 42, which he nailed.Geno Smith has yet to lose 2 straight games thanks to their overtime win against the Pats. Chris Ivory with over 100 yards on the ground.(4-3)

Dolphins: It wasn’t the performance you want coming out of your bye week. Down 14-0 early, they managed to take the lead heading into the 4th quarter, but a turnover late set up a game winner for Buffalo. Ryan Tannehill threw 3 touchdowns to lead the comeback, but his three turnovers (two interceptions) led to two Bills scores. After starting out the season 3-0, the fins need to figure some stuff out in an improved division and quick.(3-3)

Bills: The defense won the game for Buffalo. Rookie defensive back Nickell Robey’s pick six on the 3rd play of the game helped them build a big 1st quarter lead. After blowing that 14-0 lead, Mario Williams had the play of the game, a sack forced fumble set up the game winning field goal but none other than former Dolphins kicker Dan Carpenter. Carpenter was released by Miami in August. The win snapped a 6 game road losing streak. (3-4)

AFC NORTH (The Cats Have Come to Play)

Bengals: It wasn’t easy, but they did just enough to outlast a high-powered Lions offense. Andy Dalton had a good day, showing he can go deep with an early 82-yard TD strike to AJ Green, as apart of a 3 touchdown, 372-yard passing day. Dalton needed a big day in the air, because he got very little help on the ground. Taking advantage of a short field in regulation, Dalton got into field-goal range, and Mike Nugent kicked the game winner, a 54-yard field-goal as time expired. It was a big win, putting some distance between them and the rest of the league, with both Baltimore and Cleveland losing. It’s also their 2nd straight road win. (5-2)

Ravens: Another day, another close game doesn’t go their way. They managed to come back and tie the Steelers in the 4th, but it wasn’t enough to avoid a 3rd loss in their last 4. The defense did it’s job, holding Pittsburgh to mostly field-goals. But once again Ray Rice did nothing on the ground, while Joe Flacco didn’t do much good or bad in the passing game. Justin Tucker continues to be their only consistent offense, going 3-3 on field-goal attempts to keep it close. (3-4)

Browns: Brandon Weedon with another bad start since returning from injury. Cleveland’s QB went just 17-for-42 for 149 yards, a touchdown and an interception. The Packers offense was just too much for their defense, which had been rounding into form during their 3 game win streak. Yet another case of a team not getting steady production on the ground, which puts the onus on the quarterback to throw more.(3-4)

Steelers: Shaun Suisham’s leg was the hero, hitting all four of his field-goal attempts, including the 42-yard game winner as time expired. Rookie rusher Le’Veon Bell ran for a career high 98 yards. The defense only dropped Flacco once, but did a good job stopping the run. It’s their 2nd straight win after starting the season 0-4. (2-4)

AFC South (Luck Has Everything To Do With It)

Colts: This team continues to show they’re for real. They have no defeated the Seahawks, 49ers and Broncos, and by an average of over 10 points. It’s hard to win any games against Denver, let alone in Peyton Manning’s return to Indy. But Manning’s replacement shows more and more why he was the number 1 pick in last years draft. Andrew Luck was on point, An MRI confirmed that iconic wide-out Reggie Wayne is done for the year with a torn ACL suffered in Sunday night’s win. (5-2)

Titans: Jake Locker’s return wasn’t enough to save Tennessee from a 2nd straight loss. The offense couldn’t do anything until the 4th quarter, but by then it was too late. Another week, another lack of production from Chris Johnson on the ground, though he did have a nice showing in the pass game. Locker threw for 326-yards, but was sacked 3 times and picked off once in his return from injury. (3-4)

Texans: Making a bad season worse, Houston is now on a 5- game losing streak, and saw both of their tailbacks go down. Arian Foster left in the 1st quarter with a hamstring, then Ben Tate went down early in the 3rd, but he would return. They also saw Brian Cushing go down with a left knee injury. The defense got their first take away, a fumble recovery, since week 4 against Seattle, One of the few positives was the play of Case Keenum at quarterback. He looked steady all game, spreading the ball to many different players, and he didn’t throw any picks, something unique to Texans QBs this season. But little protection late led to a lot of drive killing sacks, as well as the final one on a potential game winning drive which resulted in a lost fumble. But look for Keenum to get another shot after throwing for more yards in a debut by a Texans quarterback. (2-5)

Jaguars: According to NFL.com, their the first team since the 1984 Houston Oilers to lose every game of the season (played so far) by double digits. The Oilers opened the season losing their first 10 this way. After a decent showing against Denver, the offense couldn’t do much of anything. Chad Henne wasn’t awful, throwing for over 300 yards, but he couldn’t find the end-zone, and threw one interception. Maurice Jones-Drew and the run game was non-existent once again. (0-7)

AFC WEST (And Then There Was One)

Chiefs: Don’t look now, but a 2-win team from last season now stands as the last undefeated team and the division leaders. Jamaal Charles ran for 86-yards and a score, while Alex Smith added a rushing score of his own. They got one of their tougher tests from a desperate Texans team, but a strip sack with under two to play by Tamba Hali on rookie quarterback Case Keenum sealed the one point victory. (7-0)

Broncos: They let the Colts jump out early, and they just couldn’t recover. Peyton Manning sure tried to get his team to 7-0, and it looked like it would work. But an interception and a fumble in the fourth quarter meant Denver just didn’t have enough time to complete a comeback. They were down as many as 19, but managed to close the final deficit to 6. Eric Decker went for a season high 150 yards and a touchdown, while the run game continues to force Manning to throw nearly 50 passes. The loss ended their undefeated season and snapped a 17-game regular season win streak. And just like that, they’re not even in first anymore thanks to a great start by KC. (6-1)

Chargers: Ryan Matthews with his second straight 100 yard rushing game, while finding the endzone twice. Phillip Rivers with a good day, going over 30,000 yards passing for his career. The defense did exactly what it should against a team like Jacksonville. They kept the pressure on them and held the Jags to just a pair of field-goals. (4-3)

Raiders: Bye Week.(2-4)

So that’s it. Week 8 is upon us. It gets started in Tampa Bay on Thursday, where Mike Glennon hopes to lead his team to their first win of the year, while Cam Newton hopes to lead his team to a 3rd straight victory. Enjoy it everyone.

The quarter pole of the season is here, and there are still 4 winless teams and 5 perfect teams.

Green Bay and Carolina were both on bye weeks, and enter week 5 at 1-2.

Let’s start with the have-nots (0-4)

Jaguars: Not surprised by this. The Colts are a better team, and Jacksonville just doesn’t have any weapons outside of MJD to get them going on offense. And Jones-Drew only carried for 23 yards. They held a rare lead in this one, 3-0 after 1. That’s where the positives ended.

Giants: I actually thought this was the type of game that would wake New York up. I was wrong. The offense continued to look lost, penalties killed their actual good drives and the defense wore down once again in the 2nd half. Now they head into division play with a high-powered Eagles offense.

Steelers: A trip to London couldn’t help, so another perennial playoff team that finds themselves in the cellar. It’s their first 0-4 start since 1968. Ben Roethlisberger had a good day throwing the ball, but 2 turnovers in a 7-point loss was the difference.

Buccaneers: They led 10-0 in the first half, but allowed the Cardinals to score 13 unanswered in the 4th quarter to leave Tampa winless. Rookie QB Mike Glennon couldn’t do any better than the benched Josh Freeman did.

Now for the big time haves (4-0)

Chiefs: They made easy work of the Giants, despite a bad 1st half from Alex Smith. Jamaal Charles had a big day, and the defense was great again.

Saints: They made it look easy against another undefeated team in the dolphins. They took their first possession and marched easily down the field for a TD, and a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. This after starting last year 0-4 last season. Drew Brees had his 10th game of over 400 passing yards, good for 2nd all-time behind Dan Marino’s 13.

Seahawks: It looked like Seattle would take their loss, until their defense shutdown Houston, allowing Russell Wilson to lead his team to 20 unanswered 2nd half points to take the 23-20 win in overtime. It’s the first 4-0 start in Seahawks history.

Broncos: Peyton Manning is a machine, starting off the season throwing for 16 touchdowns, and no interceptions. It was close early against Philly, but then the offense put up 31 in the 2nd half to complete another laugher, 52-20.

Patriots: This team continues to find ways to win. Win number 4 was costly, losing Pro-Bowler Vince Wilfork to a torn Achilles.

More teams feeling pretty good about themselves (3-1)

Colts: They won 37-3, but it wasn’t their best performance, getting off to a slow start in the first half. Trent Richardson scored his 2nd touchdown since coming over to Indianapolis, and combined for 125 yards on the ground with Donald Brown. Reggie Wayne and Coby Fleener had good days on the receiving end of Andrew Luck. The wide-out and tight-end combined for 177 yards and 2 touchdowns on 10 receptions.

Dolphins: They couldn’t keep pace with New England, losing big to Miami. Ryan Tannehill was picked off 3 times. The Saints offense was just too much for a good Miami defense.

Lions: I said I thought Detroit could hand Chicago their first loss, but I never thought it would be to the tune of a 40 spot. I thought it would be close late, with the home-field advantage tipping the scales for the Lions, but the usually stout Bears defense looked anything but. The game wasn’t as close as the 8-point win suggests.

Titans: Up 24-6, QB Jake Locker was carted off the field with a hip injury in the 3rd quarter. He left having thrown a career high 3 TDs. Cornerback Alterraun Verner had a big day, picking off 2 Geno Smith passes, as well as recovering a fumble.

Bears: 3-1 in the NFC North is a good place to be, but after a poor showing against Detroit, Chicago needs a big bounce back in week 5. The defense couldn’t stop Matt Stafford, and Jay Cutler was turnover prone.

.500 records at this point- good or bad? (2-2)

Bengals: The Browns have a good defense, but you have to score more than 6 points against a 1 win team. Giovani Bernard and BenJarvis Green-Ellis combined for just 50 yards on the ground. Andy Dalton threw a pick on a drive that could’ve given them the lead. He also fumbled twice, losing one.

Cardinals: They were lucky to play a bad bucs team, who let them come back from an early 10-point deficit. Cornerback Patrick Peterson was the star, with two interceptions. Larry Fitzgerald with his 80th TD reception.

49ers: San Fran bounced back in a big way on Thursday Night Football, easily taking down St Louis 35-11. Frank Gore picked up his 1st 100-yard rushing game of the season (finished with 153 and a TD) and the defense picked up 5 sacks and two turnovers.

Jets: They didn’t look good at home against the now 3-1 Titans, but 2-2 under a rookie QB is nothing to scoff at. Smith was picked off twice, and fumbled twice.

Bills: EJ Manuel didn’t look good, throwing 2 interceptions and a lost fumble but he was helped out by his defense and a big day on the ground. Fred Jackson and CJ Spiller combined for 164 yards and a TD on 39 carries.

Chargers: A Richard Marshall fumble recovery in the endzone with 2:42 to go in regulation helped seal the win for San Diego. The defense is woke up in the 2nd half, pitching a zero, allowing for the comeback victory.

Cowboys: They’re still in first place in the East, but that’s not saying much for the leagues worst division through week 4. Dez Bryant had a huge 1st half for Dallas, but the wide-out and the rest of the offense were shut out in the 2nd half.

Browns; Don’t look now but Cleveland is on a win streak. Brian Hoyer looked good in his 2nd start in the place of the injured Brandon Weedon, and Jordan Cameron is emerging as a top tight-end in the NFL. And the defense was huge, limiting the Cincy to just 269 total yards.

Ravens: Baltimore couldn’t complete a 2nd half comeback, thanks in large part to 5 Joe Flacco turnovers. It was another bad day on the ground, with Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce combining for just 24 yards on 9 carries. Torrey Smith had a big day, 166 yards and a TD.

And finally the 1 win teams (1-3)

Vikings: They’re the happiest of this group, picking up their first win of the year. Sure it was against the winless Steelers, but Adrian Peterson got going again, and Matt Cassel looked good in place of the injured Christian Ponder.

Falcons: A team I thought needed to make a serious Superbowl run looks bad early. They are having trouble closing out games. And with a much improved Saints team in the South, Atlanta needs to right the ship quick.

Redskins: The only NFC East team to win on Sunday, the skins found away to rally back from a 14-0 1st quarter deficit to the Raiders. A big defensive TD helped Washington get their first win of the year. RG3 was held under 300 yards passing for the first time of the year, but it didn’t matter.

Eagles: They found a way to stay close to Denver in the 1st half, but then the Broncos turned it on in the 2nd. They had a good day on the ground, and Michael Vick had an okay day throwing the ball, but it wasn’t nearly enough.

Rams: St Louis got absolutely nothing on the ground, forcing Sam Bradford to throw the ball 41 times. The Rams QB threw 1 touchdown, but also threw an interception and lost a fumble in the blowout loss to

Early Notes and Stats:

The NFC East has the worst combined record at 4-12, while the AFC West boasts 2 4-0 teams and an 11-5 record.

Peyton Manning leads the league with 16 TDs, giving Denver the leagues best total offense.

The Eagles rushing attack is getting them nearly 200 yards a game on the ground.

Atlanta’s Julio Jones leads the league with 481 receiving yards.

Houston’s 3rd year Linebacker Justin Houston has 7.5 sacks, tops in the NFL.